Software Use Guidelines

Overview

ITS supports and provides assistance for Academic and Administrative & Business systems software. If you cannot find the information you are looking for click the button below and someone from ITS will assist you. 

Software Available on Campus

Several common or standard/approved software and web applications are made available to employees to install as an employee at SVSU. View article: Software Available on Campus . 

Software for University-Owned Computers

Several common or standard/approved software applications are made available to employees to install on their office computer system, some software does require ITS to approve the installation on your machine. View our Software Installation Guide for University-Owned Computers . 

Software for Personal Home Use

There are various personal home use options for SVSU employees and students. You can install software on your computer or access our SVSU Virtual Computer labs. Explore Software for Personal Home Use . 

Software for Computer Labs Guidelines

Most campus software upgrades for the next school year are tested and installed during the summer, and begin with requests made during the Winter semester or earlier. Software requests for university-owned systems may include the following, please take note of the deadline dates below:

• Curriculum-specific software that may be used alone or in conjunction with textbooks
• Add-ins for software such as Microsoft Word or Excel
• Special templates and fonts 
• Plug-ins for web browsers

April 14 is the deadline for requesting software and funding for inclusion in the Fall budget and classroom and lab images (after testing for compatibility is performed).. 

June 30 is the deadline for all software, documentation, installation, configuration, and testing instructions for departmental purchases.

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Computer Labs - Licensing and Purchasing

All software requests must follow the compliance guidelines posted for Software Purchasing and Installation Policy (3.1-1) regardless of cost.  Since lab software is typically accessed by students, it is imperative to abide by the compliance requirements (VPAT - accessibility attestment by vendor).

ITS will consider the funding and purchase of software which is required for classes by more than one department. Cost-sharing with requesting departments may be necessary. Budget restrictions may limit the ability of ITS to purchase all software requested. Licenses do not need to be purchased for software that is already in the labs unless additional access for a limited-use program is needed.

Software used for a specific class must be purchased by the department using it. All software applications must be properly vetted/licensed by ITS or the department prior to implementation. New software not funded by ITS must have the licensing documentation and media provided to ITS prior to installation. The department requesting the software installation is responsible for purchasing the appropriate number of licenses based on either student use or computer installation. Contact the Support Center, x4225 for information on lab usage statistics.

• Individual licenses require the purchase of a single license for every computer where the software is installed.
• Site licenses are a flat rate typically based on a scale of the total number of computers on the network (or based on FTE counts).
• Lab packs are priced in groups based on computers within a single lab, such as 5, 10, or 25 computers.
• Concurrent licenses require the purchase of a sufficient number of licenses based on estimates of how many users are actually using the software simultaneously at any one point in time, and generally are accompanied by license manager software.

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Computer Labs - Installation and Support

Users must inform ITS of any special details regarding configuration of the software, including instructions and participation for testing the software once it is installed. If these are not provided, the software will be installed using the default settings.

Although ITS will make every attempt to accommodate software requests, occasionally certain pieces of software will not work in the campus network environment. New software that is submitted for installation must be supported by the vendor under the current operating system. Users are encouraged to upgrade their existing curricular programs whenever possible. ITS reserves the right to remove software that is no longer supported under an operating system. ITS will install and configure the software, but cannot provide technical support for all software for all individual users. Users should contact the vendor of the software for technical support, as needed.

Please note: Computer labs use specialized software to protect the images from changes, to ensure consistent and reliable operating environments. Every reboot will refresh or revert to its original settings.

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Computer Labs - Textbook Student Software

Software licensed to students, often included with textbooks, or sold at a nominal fee (that does not require the computer to be rebooted) may be used at the owner's discretion. We encourage you to test the software on a classroom or lab computer, or contact ITS for testing.

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Computer Labs - Checklist

1. Determine location and number of seats needed. If this is a new request, include the approximate cost.
2. Complete the New Software Request Form.
3. If approved and funded, no further action is necessary until the testing phase. If approved but not funded, you will be notified and you must independently purchase the software and sufficient licenses, and then deliver the software and documentation to ITS by the announced deadline.
4. It is essential that you test the software prior to the first class period.

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SVSU Software Acceptable Use Clause

As stated in the University INTERNET, ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS AND COMPUTING RESOURCES ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY (AUP), all employees of the University shall honor and follow copyright and license laws of computer software. This policy expands on the AUP to define proper procedures for software installation.

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Information Technology Related Purchases Policy

“All software, regardless of cost, must be purchased through a Purchase Requisition.  ITS department approval will happen through the Purchase Requisition routing process and does not need to be secured in advance of initiating the Purchase Requisition.  This method is required to ensure that the University is aware of all licensing and related tracking requirements. Procurement cards and Check Requisitions may not be used for any software purchase (excludes tablet and handheld software).  
… Information technology related purchases are still subject to the required departmental/vice president approvals specified in the separate Purchasing, Check Requisition and Procurement Card policies.”

Software Compliance.  Depending on the software use, you may be required to have the vendor fill-out the Higher Education Community Vendor Assessment Tool (Hecvat) for data security compliance, and you will need to provide documentation on the software's compliance with Accessibility guidelines (called VPAT - Voluntary Product Accessibility Template).  Business Services, Office of Accessibility Resources and Accommodations and Information Technology Services will provide guidance on these items.

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SVSU Purchased Software Installed on Personally-Owned Computer

Software purchased by SVSU, for university employee devices, shall not be installed on personally-owned computers – except for site-licensed software that is managed or controlled by an automated process that grants use based on user authentication (i.e. Microsoft Office 365 and Adobe Creative Cloud).  While some software may allow an install on a work device and a home device, there is no way for the university to guarantee that 1) they cannot be run at the same time, or 2) the removal of software from personal devices; and therefore it is not allowed to be installed on home computers.

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Personally Purchased Software Installed on University-Owned Computers

SVSU will not allow personally-owned or personally purchased software to be installed on university computers. If a piece of software is required for the employee to conduct their university business, it should be purchased through the proper channels to ensure the license fully complies with all university legal requirements.

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ITS Software License Management

• ITS will retain the installation media of all software purchased by the University.
• In cases where Library staff do installations of database access software, the Library will retain an installation copy of the media and will make a backup copy for ITS’ files.
• ITS will install all software purchased by the University.
• All software installed on University owned systems must be accounted for through some form of proof of purchase and copies of EULA .
• ITS will perform periodic audits to ensure software compliance. Proof of purchase and copies of EULA agreements are required pieces of evidence towards compliancy.
• ITS will perform a migration of software and data from one University owned computer to a replacement unit owned by the University.  This may occur when a unit either becomes non-repairable or through periodic replacement plans.
• ITS will retain a copy of the hard drive image for no more than 30 days after a system migration has been performed.  It is the responsibility of the employee to ensure they have the appropriate and legal software/data on their system backed up to either their M:\drive, OneDrive, or alternate media (DVD/CD/USB flashdrive).

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Software License and Metering Procedure

Purpose

To manage the licenses and metering of software.

Procedure

• A license management system will be maintained and kept in service (currently KeyServer) that is able to report on and enforce license restrictions.
• All software purchased will be entered into a license management system, and include a reference to the PO# and the number of licenses purchased. (ITS Administrative Secretary is currently doing this)
• If the software has a limited number of instances permitted, the specific number of licenses purchased will be set up in the license management system so that the maximum number permitted is not exceeded (Compliance Report monitored by Sr. Technology Specialist).
• All software purchased will be tracked by the license management system and will be reportable on request.
• With the removal of Local Admin privileges, ITS is going to be directly involved in software installations (purchased, or requested).  

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